Wake Me

Chapter Thirteen

Dani began to feel a chill come over her legs. She opened her backpack and removed her blanket. Beneath her blanket was the remaining half of her PB&J sandwich. After taking a large bite, she remembered she didn't have anything to drink, other than hot chocolate that was now tepid in temperature and slimy in texture; an oral nightmare.

The next few minutes she sucked bread and peanut butter from her teeth and the roof of her mouth. That's when she saw the strangers dog; it was sauntering down the aisle of headstones over by the pine trees. She instinctively opened her mouth to call to him, but remembered the stranger's warning.

"I see you!" She still called, despite his warning.

The wolf-like dog stopped it's leisurely pace and slowly turned its head toward Dani. Its' blue eyes sparkled; nearly glowing in the daylight, like diamonds.

"I'm happy you're alive!" She continued, "You're a fast healer." Dani said in amazement, not seeing any dried blood or even a limp.

The wolf-like dog then stretched; its' butt and tail in the air, front legs flat on the ground. She smiled, knowing that wasn't an aggressive position.

"Are you hungry?" She questioned, tearing off a piece of her sandwich, holding it outward as an offering of gratitude.

The white dog stood, looked over into the thicket of pine trees before slowly walking toward her. The closer it got, her anxiety grew fearing she may've tempted a predator with her sandwich. Its' highly perceptive eyes never wavered from hers, as its' massive white frame came within feet of her extended hand.

But it walked past her; its' paws crushing the fallen leaves beneath each powerful step. It walked toward the other side of the grave markings into an area full of partially naked cottonwood trees. And then, as if walking behind a curtain, the dog looked back at her one last time, before entering through the trees...

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I changed out of my sleeping attire and into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Knowing I was going to meet Gunner in his trailer, I checked my hair and face. The whole time thinking I was crazy for leaving the sanctity of my bedroom. I'd never snuck out of the house in the middle of night to meet a handsome boy before, let alone a grown man.

Silently, I made my way down the stairs; it was quiet and peaceful, especially how the moonlight was shining it's graceful light through the windows. As if it were on purpose, the moonlight was shining onto the kitchen table, where my revolver was laying on top of a note. It read:

Dani -
I'm sorry I made you drop your revolver. I cleaned and inspected it while you slept. Bullets are in the gun cabinet.
Gunner XO

I read the note three times, seeing if Gunner mistakingly put XO after his name. Hugs I understood, but kisses; I could only dream.

Before I realized what was happening, I was outside, walking directly toward Gunner's trailer, like my legs were possessed. I stopped halfway, questioning myself. What if I knocked on the door and he opened it half naked, anxiously expecting someone else? Butterflies stormed in my stomach.

That would never happen; best case scenario for me—worse case for Gunner.

No; I considered, he beckoned me in my dreams because this was a test. He was proving to me that he could do whatever he wanted in the unreality realm. For the very first time, I stood silently outside his parked trailer near the barn. My hand trembled when I clinched it into a fist and lightly knocked on the door. Without the slightest pause, Gunner's door swung open, nearly hitting me. He pulled me up the stairs, into his trailer's living quarters, before looking around outside.